The Evolution Of The Beggar - A Case of Lagos Nigeria

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If you live in Lagos; Nigeria's economic capital, the odds are that you may have run into Dele ( not real name).

I have had the opportunity of meeting him a few times since the late '90s. Dele is certainly good at what he does. He is as smooth as silk, is smartly dressed and moves gingerly as though just out of the cover of a GQ magazine. He motions at you from the corner of the street and once he has had your attention, he reels out a well rehearsed story about some place he has to get to for a job interview or a business he has to deliver on but requires some funds.

You cast a look at the gentleman in front of you and admire his oratorical prowess. He is also as good looking as they come. So, you conclude that his lines are genuine. You get out your wallet and part with a sum. Dele mouths his gratitude and ambles away, praying for another victim. He probably spews forth the same perfectly rehearsed lines to more than a dozen or so passers-by every day.

Welcome to the world of the Corporate Beggar: the young man who has since elevated begging to an art. You can't miss him these days whether you are driving on the major highways or walking down your street. He comes at you with something of a swagger. He dons well tailored suits and wears some of the best fragrances. He has been around, but we don't know exactly for how long.

In the '80s, you could almost tell a beggar when you saw one. He dressed like one and carried a plate to gather his proceeds. He was sometimes disabled and had to beg because he had no other means with which to survive. He was instantly grateful for whatever he was offered. In the '90s, they were still with us in Ikoyi as well as Ikorodu. They still are with us, but their numbers are dwindling. With the state government swooping on them now and again; carting them to the outskirts of town, in has stepped the Corporate Beggar. And you have to admire his modus operandi; circumstantial as his trade may seem.

Dele is probably not happy with his trade, but he has to hit the streets daily—another victim of failed government policies. He probably left university a few years before with the world at his feet. Armed with a degree and the requisite good looks, he had stormed Lagos to prove a point. Back home in his community, his younger siblings harass him on the phone to remind him of their sorry plight. As do Mum and Dad. Dele is miffed. He has been turned away from several job interviews and his one room apartment in a nondescript neighbourhood of town is littered with newspaper cuttings from the job advertisement pages of 'The Guardian'. So he looks at himself in the mirror, gets a good shave, dusts his Convocation suit and his only pair of shoes and hits the streets with a tale to tell.

With the Corporate Beggar, begging is different. He names his prize. He demands for an amount good enough for a decent meal. Not for him the N20, N50 or N100 denominations. These you can reserve for the unkempt beggars who still litter the streets. You certainly do not offer those denominations to someone as well dressed as Dele, do you?

The age of the Corporate Beggar is here with us. And with one graduation ceremony after another from our Universities, be rest assured that their rank will only swell. They are those who have found in Corporate Begging a home; and may be hard pressed to settle for anything less. Watch out: the next generation of the 'Deles' may be coming to a street corner near you!

The Evolution Of The Beggar